PPG announces annual automotive color popularity, trend data

10.11.12

PPG Industries released its annual automotive color popularity and trend data. While white retained the leading spot as the most popular car color based on 2012 automotive build data, PPG forecasts that the overall use of color is on the rise.

According to PPG’s annual survey of global color popularity, white ranked first (22%) and silver was second (20%), followed by black (19%), gray (12%), red (9%), natural (8%), blue (7%), green (2%) and other colors (1%).

“Color is one of the first characteristics noticed in product design, and it is increasingly being used in everyday items, from cell phones to large appliances, based largely on automotive trends,” said Jane E. Harrington, PPG manager, color styling, automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer) coatings. “The palette being developed for the automotive segment continues to be influenced by culture, nature, fashion, interior design, color popularity and new pigment technology.”

During this year’s annual Automotive Color Trend Show held at PPG’s offices here in late September, the coatings company presented its ideas for future vehicle colors to leading global automobile manufacturers. Titled “Perspective,” the 2012 show presents PPG’s unique viewpoint and angle on color direction, using insight from all the company’s businesses that color items such as laptop computers, homes, buildings, airplanes, ships and heavy equipment.

“PPG’s internal network of more than 20 color experts and six color styling laboratories around the world keep our company in the vanguard with color trends,” Harrington said. “This global perspective on multiple end-use markets gives PPG unique color expertise that is unmatched in the industry. No coatings company colors more types of surfaces than PPG.”

PPG presented 64 new exterior shades to automotive designers for consideration in designs of the 2015-2016 model years. These included colors such as: Al Fresco, a silver metallic with fresh green tint; Victoria Grey, a classic grey with an iridescent highlight of gold metal; Opulence, a refined red pearl with intense jewel tone; Glacier, an icy graphite grey with a slight violet blue tone; Sunshine, a bright high-sparkle intense yellow; and Elixir, a metallic mixture of silver and magenta.

“Our consumer research has clearly shown that color is critically important to car buyers,” Harrington said.

A 2011 survey of automotive consumers by PPG revealed that:

77% of respondents said exterior color was a factor in their automotive purchase decision.
Owners of large luxury cars, sporty cars and large premium SUVs place the most value on getting the color of their choice.
45% of respondents said they would prefer a wider range of color choices.

In addition to color trend forecasting, PPG continues to develop paint technologies that offer automotive design options for enhancing appearance and helping automobile manufacturers differentiate their brands, according to Harrington. “For example, metallic flake effects have become increasingly popular. A classic color such as blue can be updated with a high-sparkle glass flake or a fine bright aluminum to create more of a liquid or silk appearance,” she said.

Related Paint & Coatings Manufacturer News

PPG Industries’ protective and marine coatings (PMC) business is celebrating the 20th anniversary of polysiloxane coatings, for which PPG was granted the first patent on Jan. 4, 1994.
Tim Knavish, PPG vice president, protective and marine coat…

AkzoNobel Powder Coatings today launched its new and improved warranty system for its AAMA compliant line of architectural coatings. The Interpon D series, which includes a range of products to comply with AAMA 2603, 2604 and 2605 in a vast array of…

Nipsea Group won an auction held in Shanghai to become the majority shareholder of Guangzhou Supe Chemical Co. Ltd, a company whose wide range of industrial floor coatings and innovative technologies will help Nipsea further boost its competitiveness…

The Valspar Corporation and Maersk Container Industry announced a long-term supply agreement. Valspar, one of the global leaders in the paint and coatings industry, will provide Valspar Aquaguard waterborne coating for shipping containers manufacture…

For steel fabricators, the conventional wisdom is that coatings with high loadings of zinc dust are difficult to apply and can take too long to dry. The remedy for this was coatings with a lower zinc-load, which not only allowed for a smoother finish…

Sika has agreed to acquire LCS Optiroc Pte Ltd. in Singapore and LCS Optiroc SDN. BHD in Malaysia, a leading manufacturer of cementitious powder products. The business generated annual sales of CHF 24 million in the last financial year. With the acqu…

Axalta Coating Systems has made a major investment in new headquarters for the company’s UK operations. The new facility includes an Academy for body shop customers and will consolidate all of Axalta’s liquid coating businesses offices in…

PPG Industries' protective and marine coatings business is taking the lead in future-proof marine coatings with a range of copper-free antifoulings. PPG is the first coatings manufacturer to successfully develop and market a range of copper…

Supreme Paints and Coatings has added new update for its e-commerce website to reflect its large number of products, and their uses.
The website features multiple product images for every item, including pictures of physical cans, testimonial pictur…

PPG Industries’ new operation in Greece has conducted its first-ever customer training initiative, with 55 customers from 25 Greek shipping companies attending the one-day event last month.
Held at the new facility in Acharnai - Athens, PPG&rs…

The PPG Industries Foundation announced a $5,000 donation to Action Greensboro for continued support of the STEM Early College program on the North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NC A&T) campus. The STEM Early College pro…